| Assemblywoman Carol Murphy (D-Burlington), Chair of the Assembly Health Committee, issued the following statement on the General Assembly’s passage of legislation designed to strengthen New Jersey’s public health infrastructure by ensuring clear, science-based vaccine guidance statewide. Bill A6166 aims to support vaccine access and reduce confusion for families and providers. This bill is in response to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s recent moves to change the national standards for vaccine policies, including limiting access to the COVID-19 vaccine and changing recommended childhood immunizations. The legislation would require health insurers and the State Medicaid Program to provide coverage, without cost sharing, for expenses incurred in the provision of childhood immunizations recommended by the New Jersey Department of Health (DOH). The DOH would be required to consider guidance from the federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the CDC, as well as recommendations from nationally recognized medical organizations, including pediatricians, family physicians, and obstetricians. “When it comes to childhood immunizations, families deserve clarity and confidence. This bill would ensure parents can rely on trusted, evidence-based guidance from experts at the New Jersey Department of Health, so their children can continue to receive recommended vaccines without unnecessary barriers. “On the very day that we advanced this bill in the Assembly Health Committee, the federal government announced the overhauling of children’s vaccine schedule to require fewer immunizations. These changes were made without formal public comment from experts. My bill would ensure that DOH takes into consideration guidance from leading medical groups, enabling the state to make well-informed decisions to keep our young people safe. “Now is the time to provide families, health care providers, and pharmacists with clear and consistent direction, particularly when federal policies change or conflict. This bill would do that. I thank my colleagues for advancing this timely and life-saving legislation.” |